Undefeated wrestling team takes home WCAL Championship
Riordan’s wrestling team finished with a 6-0 record, winning the WCAL Championship.
March 11, 2020
For the first time in the wrestling program, the team finished league play with a 6-0 undefeated record.
They started their undefeated run by beating the Serra Padres 57-12. Their next matches took place at the Lincoln Invitational where they finished first place out of five schools.
The string of victories continued with their next WCAL duel against Archbishop Mitty, and they took home the victory 72-9, followed by a 57-18 win over the Sacred Heart Cathedral Fighting Irish, a 53-20 win over Bellarmine, who Raymond Russell ’20 said is “the toughest team in the WCAL.” They then defeated St. Francis 59-5, and finally faced Valley Christian, winning 73-0 for their sixth and final league win.
After their Valley Christian win, they had to get ready for the WCAL nals. The Crusaders finished in first place overall, with a WCAL record of 285 points, had eight WCAL league champions, three WCAL runner-ups and one third-place finish.
The league champions consisted of Jahmon Burton ’22 (115), Brandon Bigler ’22 (126), Donald Gruda ’21 (140), Jason Tang ’20 (147), Randy Aberouette ’20 (162), Renato Bezzera ’21 (180), Raymond Russell ’20 (220), and Gabriel Martin ’20 (285).
The runners-up were Michael Bigler ’20 (120), David Aberouette ’22 (154), and William Ortiz ’22 (190).
Next came CCS (Central Coast Section) where the Crusaders broke records with the most quarter finalists (7), most semifinalists (5), most CCS team points (134.5), most CCS placers (5), and most state qualifiers (3).
The CCS quarter nalist consists of Randy and David Aberouette, Brandon Bigler and Bezzera. The state qualifiers consisted of Tang, who was unseeded and finished third in CCS, Michael Bigler who finished second in CCS, and Russell who also finished second. At CCS, the Crusaders finished 5th out of 80 plus teams.
Russell said, “We really came together as a family, which makes it easier for us to be the best in the league and do well as a program.”